Beachgoers urged to leave inflatable devices at home after incident at Cork beach

The Youghal volunteer lifeboat crew was tasked to respond to the incident off Strand Beach in Youghal just before 3pm on Friday.

The Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 — which was in the area on route to a training exercise in Cork Harbour — quickly located the craft almost a mile offshore.

The lifeboat crew arrived moments later and realised that it was actually two adults, a man and a woman, on a 1.6m-long inflatable craft that had been blown out to sea by a strong offshore breeze.

The crew took them onboard their inshore vessel and brought them ashore at the front strand where they were handed into the care of Youghal Coast Guard.

The lifeboat operations manager at Youghal RNLI John Hearne said that while the sea state was calm, the inflatable was only going one way.

“The two people had paddles and no life jackets and found themselves in difficulty in a short space of time,” he explained.

“The wind was taking them away from the land. This happens frequently in Youghal, when people are blown out to sea on inflatables.

“We’re not going to stop supermarkets selling them, we’re not going to stop people buying them, but we have to keep repeating the advice: Don’t use inflatables at the beach. They are for use at home.”

Mr Hearne said while the sea state was calm, there was a strong offshore breeze.

“When there is a strong offshore wind you can quickly find yourself a long way from the shore and it can be extremely difficult to get back and you can quickly find yourself in danger,” he said.

“We want to remind people of the importance to always tell someone if you are entering the water and to carry a means of communication.”`

Mr Hearne urged people not to be afraid to raise the alarm if they see something of concern, or if they find themselves in difficulty.

A false alarm is not a bad thing.

“The most important thing is that we have volunteers who at the drop of hat, will stop what they are doing, and launch and put to sea, to help,” he said

Meanwhile, beach lifeguard teams resumed duty over the bank holiday weekend, on duty between 10.30am and 7pm at Front Strand, Claycastle, and Redbarn in Youghal, Garryvoe, Fountainstown, Inchydoney, Owenahincha, The Warren, Garrylucas, Garretstown, Tragumna, and Barleycove beaches.

The service operates weekends in June, full time during July and August and the first two weekends of September, finishing on September 8.

“Inflatable boats, beds and toys are unsafe to use on open water due to our temperate climate together with strong and changeable winds throughout most of the summer,” a spokesperson said.

After a scorcher of a weekend, it will be a mix of sunny spells and showers until Friday, with the best of the dry and sunny weather in the south, and temperatures of between 11 to 15C, peaking at 18C on Friday.

Little change is forecast for next weekend.